International Relations in/of Central and Eastern Europe

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to prominence. It has highlighted the importance of regional actors and dynamics but also their intimate connections to European and global politics. As the world’s eyes are fixed on Ukraine, some issues are accentuated, such as politics of sanctions and support, strategic and security considerations, energy policy or nationalist and identitarian sentiments. Others continue to unfold less publicly on the background of the war. These include the politics of CEE towards the EU, CEE cooperation projects and organisations, and the relations of CEE countries with the wider world. This Section attempts to understand these issues and topics on their own. However, it also wants to appreciate their mutual entanglements, broader impacts and potential for international relations and political science theorizing. As such, the Section welcomes Papers that reflect on the ongoing events of the regional (geo)politics, but also on everyday (mundane) politics in CEE, along with more historically oriented studies. Alongside that, the Section wants to open space for thinking about how scholars and journals produce knowledge in the CEE and beyond, and how they construct I/international R/relations as an academic discipline and a field of knowledge. The Section incorporates a variety of issues and topics related to international relations in CEE countries. It seeks Papers focusing on a plurality of theories, approaches and perspectives that can enunciate them. It focuses on three main areas: 1 International politics in, across and beyond the region. 2 Regionalism and regional integration in connection to CEE, including but not limited to politics towards EU and sub-regional initiatives (V4, CEI, Three Seas Initiative, Austerlitz Format etc.). 3 Regional knowledge production in the fields of International Relations, International Security, International Political Economy and Development. The Section intends to build upon the activities of regional associations, networks and journals that have been developing CEE-focused and CEE-based IR expertise. It should also stimulate further integration and communication between them.